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Veterans Day: Honoring Those Who Served
Objectives
Students will
· learn about United States war involvement from 1918 until now
· understand that the first-person accounts from these veterans
will illuminate the long-ago and often forgotten wars
· acknowledge that veterans deserve recognition and honor for
their military service
· use their reading skills to identify main ideas and accurately
record information from numerous Internet resources
· develop content-rich notes to use for their writing questions
assignment
NATIONAL STANDARDS
This lesson plan may be used to address the following academic standards. These standards are drawn from Content Knowledge: A Compendium of Standards and Benchmarks for K-12 Education: 2nd Edition.
Grade level: 5-12
Subject area: U.S. history
Standards:
- Understands how the Cold War and conflicts in Korea, Vietnam, and Iraq influenced domestic and international politics
- The causes and course of World War II, the character of the war at home and abroad, and its reshaping of the U.S. role in world affairs
- Review the timeline of U.S. involvement from World War II to Korea to Vietnam and Iraq
- Explain conditions and motivations that contribute to conflict, cooperation and interdependence among groups, societies and nations.
Benchmarks:
- Understands factors that contributed to the development of World War II, Korean War, the Cold War, the Vietnam War, and Iraqi War
- Understands the political elements of the Vietnam War (e.g., the constitutional issues involved in the Vietnam War, the legacy of the war)
Subject area: World history
Standards:
- The causes and global consequences of World War II, Korean War, Vietnam war, and Iraqi war
- Post-World War II reconstruction, new international power relations, and breaking up of colonial empires
- The search for community, stability and peace in an interdependent world
- What is the relationship of the United States to other nations and to world affairs?
- Evaluate, take, and defend positions on United States foreign policy issues in light of American national interests, values, and principles.
- Analyze the relationships and tensions between national sovereignty and global interests, in matters such as territory, economic development, nuclear and other weapons, use of natural resources, and human rights concerns.
Benchmarks:
- Understands the impact of relations during World War II through Iraq, and the impact of the wars on art, literature, and popular culture
- Understands factors that influenced political conditions after World War II and leading up to Korea, Vietnam, and Iraq
- Understands how specific countries have implemented social and cultural changes
Subject area: Language Arts
1 - Students read a wide range of print and nonprint texts to build an understanding of texts, of themselves, and of the cultures of the United States and the world; to acquire new information; and to respond to the needs and demands of society.
2 - Students read a wide range of literature from many periods in many genres to build an understanding of the many dimensions (e.g., philosophical, ethical, aesthetic) of human experience.
4 - Students adjust their use of spoken, written, and visual language (e.g., conventions, style, vocabulary) to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences and for different purposes.
5 - Students employ a wide range of strategies as they write and use different writing process elements appropriately to communicate with different audiences for a variety of purposes.
7 - Students conduct research on issues and interests by generating ideas and questions, and by posing problems. They gather, evaluate, and synthesize data from a variety of sources (e.g., print and nonprint texts, artifacts, people) to communicate their discoveries in ways that suit their purpose and audience.
8 - Students use a variety of technological and information resources (e.g., libraries, databases, computer networks, video) to gather and synthesize information and to create and communicate knowledge.
VOCABULARY
- fleet - a group of naval ships under one command or grouped for one purpose.
- guard - to protect from danger or harm.
- honor - to have high regard or esteem for; respect.
- infantry - foot soldiers, or the branch of the military to which they belong.
- armed - holding or bearing weapons.
- army - the military land force of a nation.
- memorial - a ceremony, custom, or public structure to honor a dead person or past event.
- navy - the part of a nation's military organization that is concerned with warfare on or over the sea.
- troop - to assemble or join together in a crowd.
- veteran - a person who was formerly part of the armed forces, esp. during a war.
- bravery - the quality or condition of being brave; fearlessness; courage.
- cavalry - troops mounted on horseback or in armored carriers or helicopters, or the branch of military service composed of such troops.
- commando - a small, specially trained military unit used for surprise assaults on enemy-held territory.
- commemoration - a ceremony to honor the memory of a person or event.
- courage - the quality of will that enables a person to confront fear or danger regardless of the consequences; bravery:
PRE-ACTIVITIES
We encourage teachers and students to do the pre-activities before the scheduled videoconference.
1) Ask the students what they think Veteran's Day is for. Why is it important? What does the word “veteran” mean?
2) Inquire if any students have any relatives or acquaintances that are veterans. Have they heard any first-person stories about wartime?
3) The teacher should read "In Flanders Fields" (one of the most memorable war poems ever written) and discuss its significance with the students.
In Flanders Fields
written by: Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, MD
In FLANDERS FIELDS the poppies blow
Between the crosses row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
4) Students and teacher will create a time line of the wars with United States involvement starting with World War I through the current Iraqi war.
5) Students will divide into small groups of no more than four students. The teacher will assign one of the wars for each group to research using multiple Internet resources. Students will take notes on main ideas and topics.
- Each group will then brainstorm and list at least ten ideas or topics that affected veterans during and after the war.
- Each group will then use their list to generate questions to be asked to a veteran from each war during the videoconference.
Possible Question Starters for students to ask during Q & A session of the videoconference:
- Why do you think. . . .
- Describe. . . .
- Would you explain. . . .
- Where did you. . .
- Where do you. . . .
- How many. . . .
- What are. . . .
- How did you feel. . . . .
- What was your reaction. . . .
- How would you. . . .
- How come. . . .
Teacher should encourage students to ask questions that cover a variety of topics.
6) Class will “role play” or simulate interview and question session for practice.
- Encourage students to speak slowly and clearly. Students should come to a microphone to ask their questions and be patient and polite.
- Have students begin their questions by introducing themselves. An example would be, "Hello Mr._______. My name is ______. My question is _____. After the question is answered, the student should say, "Thank you."
- Encourage students to listen carefully to the questions from other classes that will participate in the videoconference so that questions are not repeated.
CLASS DISCUSSION
Veterans Day is the day set aside to thank and honor ALL those who served honorably in the military. . . both in wartime and peacetime. Veterans Day is especially intended to thank living veterans for their service, to acknowledge that their contributions to our national security are appreciated, and to underscore the fact that ALL those who served. . not only those who died. . . . have sacrificed and done their duty.
World War I was called “the War to end all wars,” but in 1939, World War II broke out in Europe and shattered that dream. Korea, Vietnam, and Beyond (Desert Storm, Kosovo, Afghanistan, and Iraq) have all followed.
This videoconference will feature interviews with a panel of local veterans with a variety of experiences. Time will be allocated for student questions.
This lesson supports fifth -through twelfth-grade students' exploration of multiple Internet resources to gather and synthesize information, and to create and communicate this information through questioning to veterans during a videoconference session. Additionally, the activities require students to acquire new knowledge and to expand upon their understanding of themselves and the United States. Students are encouraged to participate as knowledgeable, reflective, creative, and critical members of their classroom community.
LESSON: HISTORY of VETERANS DAY:
The celebrated ending of World War I hostilities occurred at 11 AM on November 11, 1918 (the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month). In 1921, memorial gestures in the United States, England, and France all took place on November 11, giving universal recognition to this “Armistice Day.”
An American soldier—his name “known but to God”—was buried on a Virginia hillside overlooking the Potomac River and the city of Washington, DC. The burial site of this unknown World War I soldier in Arlington National Cemetery symbolized dignity and reverence for America’s veterans.
Similar ceremonies occurred in England and France, where an “unknown soldier” of the World War I was buried in each nation’s highest place of honor (in England, Westminster Abbey; in France, the Arc de Triomphe).
In 1954, November 11 was changed from Armistice Day to Veterans Day, to thank and honor ALL those who served honorably in the military. . . both in wartime and peacetime. The Veterans Day National Ceremony is held each year on November 11 at Arlington National Cemetery at 11 AM.
POST-ACTIVITIES
- Students should write thank you letters to send to these veterans for sharing their stories with the students.
- As an extended writing exercise, students should write an essay of their own personal response to hearing stories and accounts from these veterans
- Students should write a fictional personal narrative from the point of view of an 18- 20 year old in one of these wars.
RESOURCES:
This is a list of books on Vietnam that our presenters recommend to the students:
1. We Were Soldiers Once -- and Young: Ia Drang The Battle that
Changed the War in Vietnam
By Gen. Harold G. Moore and Joseph Galloway
2. They Marched Into Sunlight
by David Maraniss
3. Marine Sniper: 93 Confirmed Kills
Charles Henderson, E.J. Land
4. Fortunate Son: The Healing of a Vietnam Vet
Lewis B. Puler Jr.
5. The Best and the Brightest
David Halberstam
6. A Rumor of War
Philip Caputo
7. Born On The Fourth of July
by Ron Kovic
8. Bloods: An Oral History of the Vietnam War by Black Veterans
Wallace Terry
9. The Long Gray Line: The American Journey of West Point's
Class of 1966.
10. Chickenhawk
by Robert Mason
Vietnam Statistics
These statistics were taken from a variety of sources that included: The VFW Magazine, the Public Information Office, and the HQ CP Forward Observer - 1st Recon April 12, 1997.
STATISTICS FOR INDIVIDUALS IN UNIFORM AND IN COUNTRY VIETNAM VETERANS:
* 9,087,000 military personnel served on active duty during the Vietnam Era (August 5, 1964 - May 7, 1975).
* 8,744,000 GIs were on active duty during the war (Aug 5, 1964-March 28,1973).
* 2,709,918 Americans served in Vietnam, this number represents 9.7% of their generation.
* 3,403,100 (Including 514,300 offshore) personnel served in the broader Southeast Asia Theater (Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, flight crews based in Thailand, and sailors in adjacent South China Sea waters).
* 2,594,000 personnel served within the borders of South Vietnam (Jan. 1,1965 - March 28, 1973). Another 50,000 men served in Vietnam between 1960 and 1964.
* Of the 2.6 million, between 1-1.6 million (40-60%) either fought in combat, provided close support or were at least fairly regularly exposed to enemy attack.
* 7,484 women (6,250 or 83.5% were nurses) served in Vietnam.
* Peak troop strength in Vietnam: 543,482 (April 30, 1968).
CASUALTIES:
The first man to die in Vietnam was James Davis, in 1958. He was with the 509th Radio Research Station. Davis Station in Saigon was named for him.
Hostile deaths: 47,378
Non-hostile deaths: 10,800
Total: 58,202 (Includes men formerly classified as MIA and Mayaguez casualties). Men who have subsequently died of wounds account for the changing total.
8 nurses died -- 1 was KIA.
61% of the men killed were 21 or younger.
11,465 of those killed were younger than 20 years old.
Of those killed, 17,539 were married.
Average age of men killed: 23.1 years
Total Deaths: 23.11 years
Enlisted: 50,274 - 22.37 years
Officers: 6,598 - 28.43 years
Warrants: 1,276 - 24.73 years
E1: 525 - 20.34 years
11B MOS: 18,465 - 22.55 years
Five men killed in Vietnam were only 16 years old.
The oldest man killed was 62 years old.
Highest state death rate: West Virginia - 84.1% (national average 58.9% for every 100,000 males in 1970).
Wounded: 303,704 -- 153,329 hospitalized + 150,375 injured requiring no hospital care.
Severely disabled: 75,000, -- 23,214: 100% disabled; 5,283 lost limbs; 1,081 sustained multiple amputations.
Amputation or crippling wounds to the lower extremities were 300% higher than in WWII and 70% higher than Korea.
Multiple amputations occurred at the rate of 18.4% compared to 5.7% in WWII.
Missing in Action: 2,338
POWs: 766 (114 died in captivity)
As of January 15, 2004, there are 1,875 Americans still unaccounted for from the Vietnam War.
DRAFTEES VS. VOLUNTEERS:
25% (648,500) of total forces in country were draftees. (66% of U.S. armed forces members were drafted during WWII).
Draftees accounted for 30.4% (17,725) of combat deaths in Vietnam.
Reservists killed: 5,977
National Guard: 6,140 served: 101 died.
Total draftees (1965 - 73): 1,728,344.
Actually served in Vietnam: 38% Marine Corps Draft: 42,633.
Last man drafted: June 30, 1973.
RACE AND ETHNIC BACKGROUND:
88.4% of the men who actually served in Vietnam were Caucasian; 10.6% (275,000) were black; 1% belonged to other races.
86.3% of the men who died in Vietnam were Caucasian (includes Hispanics).
12.5% (7,241) were black; 1.2% belonged to other races.
170,000 Hispanics served in Vietnam; 3,070 (5.2% of total) died there.
70% of enlisted men killed were of northwest European descent.
86.8% of the men who were killed as a result of hostile action were Caucasian; 12.1% (5,711) were black; 1.1% belonged to other races.
14.6% (1,530) of non-combat deaths were among blacks.
34% of blacks who enlisted volunteered for the combat arms.
Overall, blacks suffered 12.5% of the deaths in Vietnam at a time when the percentage of blacks of military age was 13.5% of the total population.
Religion of Dead: Protestant -- 64.4%; Catholic -- 28.9%; other/none -- 6.7%
SOCIO-ECONOMIC STATUS:
Vietnam veterans have a lower unemployment rate than the same non-vet age groups.
Vietnam veterans' personal income exceeds that of our non-veteran age group by more than 18 percent.
76% of the men sent to Vietnam were from lower middle/working class backgrounds.
Three-fourths had family incomes above the poverty level; 50% were from middle income backgrounds.
Some 23% of Vietnam vets had fathers with professional, managerial or technical occupations.
79% of the men who served in Vietnam had a high school education or better when they entered the military service.
63% of Korean War vets and only 45% of WWII vets had completed high school upon separation.
Deaths by region per 100,000 of population: South -- 31%, West --29.9%; Midwest -- 28.4%; Northeast -- 23.5%.
DRUG USAGE &CRIME:
There is no difference in drug usage between Vietnam veterans and non-Vietnam veterans of the same age group.
(Source: Veterans Administration Study)
Vietnam veterans are less likely to be in prison - only one-half of one percent of Vietnam veterans have been jailed for crimes.
85% of Vietnam veterans made successful transitions to civilian life.
WINNING & LOSING:
82% of veterans who saw heavy combat strongly believe the war was lost because of lack of political will.
Nearly 75% of the public agrees it was a failure of political will, not of arms.
HONORABLE SERVICE:
97% of Vietnam-era veterans were honorably discharged.
91% of actual Vietnam War veterans and 90% of those who saw heavy combat are proud to have served their country.
74% say they would serve again, even knowing the outcome.
87% of the public now holds Vietnam veterans in high esteem.
INTERESTING CENSUS STATISTICS & THOSE TO CLAIM TO HAVE "Been There":
1,713,823 of those who served in Vietnam were still alive as of August,1995 (census figures).
During that same Census count, the number of Americans falsely claiming to have served in-country was: 9,492,958.
As of the current Census taken during August, 2000, the surviving U.S. Vietnam veteran population estimate is: 1,002,511. This is hard to believe, losing nearly 711,000 between '95 and '00. That's 390 per day.
During this Census count, the number of Americans falsely claiming to have served in-country is: 13,853,027. By this census, FOUR OUT OF FIVE WHO CLAIM TO BE Vietnam vets are not.
The Department of Defense Vietnam War Service Index officially provided by The War Library originally reported with errors that 2,709,918 U.S. military personnel as having served in-country. Corrections and confirmations to this erred index resulted in the addition of 358 U.S. military personnel confirmed to have served in Vietnam but not originally listed by the Department of Defense. (All names are currently on file and accessible 24/7/365).
Isolated atrocities committed by American soldiers produced torrents of outrage from anti-war critics and the news media while communist atrocities were so common that they received hardly any media mention at all. The United States sought to minimize and prevent attacks on civilians while North Vietnam made attacks on civilians a centerpiece of its strategy. Americans who deliberately killed civilians received prison sentences while communists who did so received commendations.
From 1957 to 1973, the National Liberation Front assassinated 36,725 Vietnamese and abducted another 58,499. The death squads focused on leaders at the village level and on anyone who improved the lives of the peasants such as medical personnel, social workers, and school teachers. - Nixon Presidential Papers.
Any man or woman who may be asked in this century what they did to make life worthwhile in their lifetime....can respond with a great deal of pride and satisfaction, "I served in the United States Military".
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Email: michael.majett@Vanderbilt.edu
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